#oh mark

When Kregg is done with his pitch, you linger a moment as he returns to the ship. Look down at Mark, and wonder.

“Your little brother is cute,” you say, despite never laying your eyes on the kid. You’re just after the panicked widening of Mark’s, as much as the swollen one can manage.

You smile, and hold a finger to your lips. “I won’t tell.”

“Why?” It’s a rough croak, not helped by Kregg’s punch shaking him up. You already did a lot more damage than you’ve ever given out back when you were playing nice. Breaking him felt…

Right. Wrong. Everything in between. It felt, which is what really matters.

You crouch down again, and avoid a cut on his forehead as you stroke some hair back from his face. Right, wrong. Flip the coin and see which way it lands - if you catch it fast enough.

You did, once.

You don’t know if you can again.

“Because of me, you’re not going to win this,” you tell him, because you think he deserves to know. You want him to. “But…I’d like to see you try. Really.”

You lean in, to keep your words carefully held between the two of you. You watch his eyelids flutter shut, hear his shaky exhale. Huh. Guess you left an impression. Why not deepen it?

“We won’t see each other for a while, so you should know…I’m rooting for you, Mark. You’re stronger than you think.”